Chapter 617 Making the Appointment Alone Janie tossed the kit into the bin and staggered into the living room to take the call.
âJanie? Are you at Adelmar?â
âNo,â said Janie quickly. âIâm at home.â
âHuh? Are you alright? Why did you take the day off?â asked Emmeline.
Janie took a deep breath. âJust feeling a little dizzy. Just need some sleep.â
âI see,â said Emmeline. âCatch a break. Iâll see you when I get back.â
âSure, Emma.â Janie ended the call.
Emmeline puffed her cheeks. She canât come with me. Guess Iâll have to do this myself. Well, letâs get going, then. She got changed, put on some makeup, and went downstairs. âKendra, Iâm not coming home for lunch. Tell Abel he can start without me.â
âWhere are you going, Ms. Louise?â Kendra was holding Quincy in her arms.
Quincy was staring at Emmeline. Amused, she pinched the babyâs cheek. âEvelyn asked me out for lunch.â
âEvelyn?â Kendraâs eyes went wide. âYou shouldnât go, Ms. Louise. That woman is bad news.â
âItâs alright,â said Emmeline. âShe canât hurt me.â
âButâ¦â Kendra was still worried.
âIâll be fine,â she assured. Kendra doesnât know I can fight. And I have the needles with me too. She went into the garage and picked the silver Bugatti, then she went to the rendezvous spot.
Half an hour later, she came to a hotel, and Evelyn was waiting in a room. When Emmeline made her appearance, she and Evelyn were surprised.
Evelyn said, âI thought Janie was coming.â
âSheâs under the weather.â
âI see,â said Evelyn. âThatâs a shame.â
âAnd this is?â Emmeline pointed at the pudgy, middle-aged man in the room.
âThis is Mr. Maldings,â said Evelyn. âHeâs been helping me with the business in this city.â
âI see,â said Emmeline half-heartedly. She didnât like the sight of this man, but she couldnât just leave.
Morgan Maldings stood up happily, and he extended his chubby hand. âPlease, have a seat.â
âSit, Emma.â Evelyn held up the menu. âOrder anything you like.â
Morgan said, âYeah. The food here is nice.â
Emmeline picked up the menu and made some orders. Ugh, just looking at this man makes me sick. I wonder if I can even eat.
The waiter had decanted the wine, and Morgan poured a glass for Emmeline. Just when he was about to pour a glass for Evelyn, she said, âIâd like to try the white wine. Itâs a local delicacy, they say.â
âSure thing.â Morgan put the decanter down and poured a small glass of white wine for Evelyn.
And then the food was served. Morgan held up his wine. âItâs an honor to see you, Mrs. Ryker. Why donât we raise a toast to it?â
âOf course.â Evelyn raised her glass of wine as well. âIâd like to thank Emma for her help as well.â
âI said that was nothing to be thanked for.â Emmeline held up her glass as well.
They raised a toast, and Morgan downed his wine. Then Evelyn followed suit.
Emmeline thought there was a lot of wine in her glass, so she took a big swig, but she didnât finish it.
âOh, thatâs rude, Emma,â said Evelyn. âMr. Maldings and I downed all our drinks, and itâs white wine too. Why arenât you doing the same?â
âRed wine kicks in hard, you know,â said Emmeline. âI canât drink.â
âOh, thatâs a shame,â said Evelyn. âBut you donât have to drink any more after this glass. You can always go for the juice.â
âThat works.â At least sheâs considerate. Emmeline finished her wine.